Sunday, October 28, 2012

Always the Fine Print

I just ran across a call for stories for an anthology called "Grimm & Grimmer". Since I love reimagined fairytales the call really interested me until I read this part of the guidelines:

"Previously published stories will NOT be considered for this anthology, and while authors will retain copyright we expect all new characters created for this anthology to be placed within the public domain."

If your character goes into the public domain that means anyone in the world can write a story using your characters and make money off of it without paying you for the privilege. Be careful out there, writers, and always read the fine print.

This call came from new e-publisher, Fringe Works. They had another call posted and this statement wasn't included in that call. Since fairytales are a really hot commodity of late I have to wonder why this demand was included in the guidelines.

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About Me

So, who am I? First off, I'm a short story writer and proud of that. I've had stories short-listed for both Derringer and Spinetingler Awards. Even this blog has been nominated twice for a Spinetingler Award in the service to the community category. My short story, "Survival Instincts", first published in PulpPusher, was included in the best crime and mystery stories of 2010 collection, By Hook or by Crook. I've been published in many of the online zines, had stories included in print magazines like Needle and Pulp Modern, and in e-anthologies like Pulp Ink and Beat to a Pulp: Superhero. I've also had a collection of my short stories, Cold Rifts, published by Snubnose Press.
I was also the co-editor of the small print magazine, A Flasher’s Dozen and served two years as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.